Anyone have tips for running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd Manse

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creatureslagoon
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Anyone have tips for running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd Manse

Post by creatureslagoon » Sat Nov 16, 2013 3:23 am

Hi all,
I am running running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd Manse this Sunday. Since this is an older one, I was wondering if anyone that has run this has any tips or anything useful to enrich the scenario. Just curious what great ideas have come about, thanks!

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Re: Anyone have tips for running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd M

Post by Nvision » Sun Nov 17, 2013 4:24 am

I really like this scenario, and have run it several times now. You can do some really cool things to kind of characterize the house, which can throw investigators off for some time. Play with the sounds and smells of the home, with details like musty plaster that can crack and crumble as investigators move through the place. Creaking floors, rattling pipes, and occasional "sloshing" sounds can be good ways to lead them to specific rooms. Also, you can have a lot of fun adding Joe Virelli into the mix (provided he survives his entrance). He can help or hinder investigators as you need, possibly stumbling onto things they might miss. His disappearance (and possible re-discovery) can be a good opportunity to milk some SAN from your players.

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Re: Anyone have tips for running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd M

Post by creatureslagoon » Sun Nov 17, 2013 2:39 pm

Thanks for the tips, here in about four hours I am running this one. All I have running through my head is The Blob theme song now, while I tweet the scenario this morning, lol.

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Re: Anyone have tips for running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd M

Post by trevlix » Mon Nov 18, 2013 12:41 pm

IMO, one of the best scenarios ever. You probably already ran this, but a few years ago I compiled a list of tips when running this. Here they are.

1. To not give away that the walls are thick enough to hold the monster, they will be looking for void spaces, but just make it like the plaster is thick; swollen with natural moisture.

2. Move it up as they go down, and down as they go up, with a creak and a moan.

3. The biggest thing is to have the sheriff and the newspaperman encounters ready to go at a moments notice and as soon as someone suspects something or tries to force the monsters hand, have them appear in at the door, drawing the party away. Don’t be afraid to interrupt the person talking to describe the interrupting event.

4. No one ever has the salt delivered so don’t worry about that.

5. Make a big deal about a big padlock on the basement doors on the outside, but once they break in the creature should be in the attic.

6. Go to great ends to describe the water damage and warping involved, but most people will assume it’s a creature in the room not in the wall.

7. A raging raccoon or 2 does wonders to distract the group.

8. When they are finally ready and they suspect the worst, try to spring it on them when they are on the second floor and just flood the bottom level so they have to escape by jumping. If you think the players are really with it, put a well in the basement, just a red herring, but they will assume the water came from there or that’s where the monster came from.

9. Play up the verdant front yard, it tends to isolate them and make them not to go outside for fear of dark young.

10. Suggest that the gates should be locked and provide a padlock for that purpose with the key - good fun once they try to get away and have to scale the gate.

11. Use plumbing noises and water pressure to keep them guessing.

Finale - So in summary have a line of well prepared interruptions and throw it out as soon as you think someone is getting suspicious. Never let them do a detailed search of the actual threat without an interruption.
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Re: Anyone have tips for running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd M

Post by creatureslagoon » Wed Nov 20, 2013 1:21 am

Yeah, I did rum this last Saturday but did a lot of what you suggested. Especially #8 with filling up the bottom floor to force the window jump. Two of my four investigators died and one is eternally crippled, both legs crushed. He was carried away by the other survivor in his arms like Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard, lol.

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Re: Anyone have tips for running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd M

Post by creatureslagoon » Wed Nov 20, 2013 1:21 am

Run not rum, but we were drinking a bit too

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Re: Anyone have tips for running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd M

Post by trevlix » Wed Nov 20, 2013 1:15 pm

Very cool! I think I've run this scenario at least 5 or 6 times and have a survival rate of about 25% (they've all been one-shots, so the life expectancy is low anyhow). Some memorable moments (some spoilers):

1. An investigator started to shoot the door to the kitchen after they first arrived bc it would open. Slimy pseudopods shot through the bullet holes and grabbed him.

2. One PC looked up the fireplace in the bedroom. Nasty things happened afterwards and he didn't survive long.

3. After running away from an attack in the bedroom, one gets to the top of the stairs and sees the entire lower floor flooded. Another PC running behind him fails his DEX roll, can't stop in time, and pushes the first down the stairs. Oops.

Man, I need to run this one again! Its been too long.
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Re: Anyone have tips for running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd M

Post by creatureslagoon » Thu Nov 21, 2013 2:08 am

Hilarious! One of my investigators almost died jumping out the window first, landing in a human heap, unconscious. The next investigator tries to jump out, landing on his body to try to soften his fall a bit., lol. So he lands on him and they both died in a tangled heap together.

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Re: Anyone have tips for running MoM's Crack'd and Crook'd M

Post by Toddsoggua » Thu Nov 21, 2013 3:49 am

Small world! We had a blast with this scenario over the last two Friday nights. In the first session the investigators barrelled out to the house without doing any research and it cost two of them their lives. I used the flooded first floor idea to good affect. After the two died horribley in front of their companions, the remaning others had to drag the temporarily insane Gamwell Gazette reporter to a window and defenestrate him with extreme prejudice. He didn't do too well with the fall and had to be carried away by the surviving investigators after they jumped out of the second story window.
In the next session the group decided to finally do some research and prep. One player prepared props for his priest character: blessed balls of salt wrapped in plastic wrap to pitch at the creature! They didn't do too much damage against the baddie, but we got some laughs out of it before everyone ran in terror during the final confrontation.
I've had MoM for years, but never played this scenario until now, but I'll definitely put on my replay list for the future.

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